CASE STUDY 20
Overconsumption is driving agricultural expansion and intensification There is unquestionably a need to ensure that the
foods. Today, two-and-a-half times more people
world’s population is adequately fed. Yet providing
are overweight than undernourished, and the
enough food for the 13% of the world’s people
average global citizen’s daily protein consumption
who suffer from hunger would require raising
is more than one-third higher than needed. As well
world supplies by just 1%. Increasingly, much of
as driving the destruction of natural habitats and
the expansion in agriculture is driven by patterns
the loss of biodiversity, overconsumption widens
of consumption that are unhealthy, unnecessary
the food gap between rich and poor, and leads
and ultimately unsustainable. Globally, there is a
to obesity related health problems, which in turn
trend toward overconsumption and the adoption
contribute to rising healthcare costs and lower
of diets high in calories, protein and animal-based
productivity.
OVERCONSUMPTION OF PROTEIN NOW OCCURS IN ALL OF THE WORLD’S REGIONS Adapted from Ranganathan, J. et al. 2016. Shifting Diets for a Sustainable Food Future. Accessible at http://www.worldresourcesreport.org. Animal-based protein
Plant-based protein
Average daily protein requirement
European Union
100
Middle East & North Africa
90 Former Soviet Union
G PROTEIN CONSUMED / CAPITA / DAY
80
33
US & Canada
Brazil China
OECD (Other)
Latin America (ex. Brazil)
70 Asia (ex. China & India)
60
Sub - Saharan Africa
India 50
40
30
20
10
0 0
1
2
3
4
POPULATION (BILLIONS)
5
6
7